Buffy 6x13 Dead Things - Early Access & Full
Added 2024-10-18 21:00:04 +0000 UTCTHE ENDING....
I think I've learnt my lesson. I'm never, ever going to jinx things and say something silly like "Ooh, I am hopeful!" because it never is good. Ever. We're just on a big ol' train ride of sadness, all the time. And I've now accepted that! I guess it makes things interesting π π₯²
Those 3 big bad boys of the season... I was worried something like this would happen. It's changed now. It's no longer a fun romp. It's serious. Bad. Such a shame as I really was enjoying that sillier aspect, but I guess that's LONG gone now.
I have always said I don't want Buffy and Spike to be together, but I was curious about them. They are an interesting pairing. Now I'm even more convinced they aren't right for each other - but maybe it's more a case of "not right NOW" as it's just such a bad time for Buffy. Maybe if she was in a better place, mentally, things would be different with Spike BUT if she was feeling better mentally, this thing with Spike probably would never have happened. It's just so toxic and it's at a point now where I just want it to stop. I have always loved Spike as a character, so I just hope that when it DOES stop (and I'm sure it will), that he will be okay with it and not do anything silly. We know he can hurt Buffy, and it's entirely possible he may lash out though I'd like to hope he doesn't.
GEEZ. I hope the next episode is a bit more light-hearted π€£
Youtube edit: https://youtu.be/WXa_5aiCcNE
Comments
The Trio are why the 6th season is the one I enjoy the least. They were not a credible threat, I find them more annoying than funny and uninteresting caricatures rather than interesting characters . Almost all the weakest parts of the 6th season involve them and very few of the season's high points include them. 16 minutes into this episode I skipped to your comments at the end.
Keith Carter
2025-01-24 04:31:34 +0000 UTCI see, I am not so sure about that, but maybe it depends on the country.
Oliver
2024-10-21 22:32:58 +0000 UTCI agree but GG Iven society's sensibilities today I don't think it would be accepted on TV like it once was
Michael Short
2024-10-21 03:31:28 +0000 UTCWhy? It's a still relevant piece about how toxic masculinity can lead from immature fooling around with sexbots and fantasies about voyeurism to utter despicable behaviour against women and incapability to accept rejection and to psychological and physical violence. ("Didn't age well" in my understanding means that an episode praised or normalised opinions that are today considered or recognised as being wrong. Imo it is obvious in this episode that the trio's actions are disgusting and they (especially narcissistic Warren) are on a downward path.)
Oliver
2024-10-21 03:19:34 +0000 UTCI'm so glad you agree! Look, I love Spike. Most people do. But I don't like this whole Spike/Buffy thing. I know there are plenty of people who do, but my goodness it's too toxic for me. It's not healthy. I am just HOPING that this thing with Buffy isn't going to take his character in a stupid direction which makes me dislike him π₯ that's one of my fears right now!
Juliette Gaming
2024-10-20 21:20:36 +0000 UTCClaire, what wonderful insight you have! You are exactly right about Spike's good deeds. I've not thought of it in that way before, but I can see it now. With that exception of Dawn, most times he's done something good, he does expect praise and reward. It's not something good he does and then won't tell anyone about it. Very interesting!! HMMM!!!
Juliette Gaming
2024-10-20 21:18:49 +0000 UTCYeah, that's for sure! It almost feels like the show is growing up as it tackles different scenarios.
Juliette Gaming
2024-10-20 21:16:52 +0000 UTCWarren is disgusting. I preferred it when they were just silly villains talking about Doctor Who π₯ I don't like this....
Juliette Gaming
2024-10-20 21:16:03 +0000 UTCThis episode really didn't age well.
Michael Short
2024-10-20 02:02:27 +0000 UTCI just noticed for the first time that Tara ist triggered by Buffy thinking she came back wrong. She falls back in the stutter she had when she thought she herself was part demon.
Oliver
2024-10-19 23:43:50 +0000 UTC"Good girlfriends don't cry" - I was made to love you.
JudgeMazza .
2024-10-19 19:03:59 +0000 UTCYep, this is where things shift with the trio and they aren't just silly "super villains" anymore. Things are getting more serious now. Like Claire said, Jonathan and Andrew are just sort of wrapped up in their own little fantasy. It doesn't excuse their actions, but they're a bit more redeemable in this scenario. Warren, on the other hand, really starts to show his evil side.
Britney
2024-10-19 18:44:26 +0000 UTCThe show hasn't always been very conscientious about the concept of consent. It's good to see that this time at least, Katrina calls it as it is: rape. This is not dissimilar to the love spell Xander did back in Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, but this time the show acknowledges how bad it is. Although to Xander's credit he didn't set out with the same goals as the trio did, and he stopped himself in the end. Buffy breaking down before Tara brings tears to my eyes every single time.
zerofk
2024-10-19 18:36:31 +0000 UTCYour right about Buffy not doing what she's doing with Spike if she was mentally in a good place. Buffy is using Spike as both a means of escape, and to try and feel something other than the full weight of her depression (I'd argue there's possible a self harm/self punishment aspect to it as well). I'm not saying Buffy using Spike is right, the whole situation with them right now is just hella toxic, and dark, and complicated by a plethora of feelings (some of which are deeply negative). When it comes to Spike, with the exception of perhaps protecting Dawn (and this is arguable), he hasn't really done anything truly altruistic since he fell in love with Buffy. Being a good person partly means doing and saying good things when no one is around as much as you would when you had an audience. The majority of the time Spike does his good deeds and then looks to Buffy for his reward. Spike's motivation is still manipulative and selfish; these are not the actions of somehow who has genuinely changed their demon ways. I've also always read Spike as a Romantic, as in the Romanticist movement idea of a Romantic. The Romantics were an artistic, literary, philosphical and political movement that ran from the late 18th to the mid 19th century, with numerous revivals up until the first world war. Amongst things like individualism, reverence for nature, and passion and intuition as a driving force in art and society, Romantics also valued heightened experiences. A Romantics idea of going out in nature wouldn't be a nice stroll in the woods, it'd be more like sailing in the middle of a thunderstorm. Spike in season 3 kidnapping Willow to force Druscilla back to him, complaining that Dru didn't even have the decency to stake him, and then coming to the realisation that he just needs to tie Druscilla up and torture her until she loves him again is peak Romanticism if the Romantic in question no longer had a soul to tell them when to put the brakes on. Ditto for season 5 Spike threatening to stake Druscilla in front of Buffy to prove his love, and then threatening straight up violence and destruction when things don't go the way he planned. It's all very Romanticist ideas of Romantic, but it also means that without a soul Spike can potentially be very dangerous, especially now that he's at least partially off his leash.
Claire Eyles
2024-10-19 15:47:46 +0000 UTCWarren is a psychopath, and this is the episode where his mask finally slips. When Katrina screams the words, 'it's rape', Johnathon and Andrew both look genuinely shocked (they really were stuck in their little boy fantasies of being comic book level villains). Warren on the otherhand is just sort of lurking behind Katrina with a creepy smile; he knew exactly what he was doing. Like Buffy itself subverting the 'damsel in distress' trope by having it's female protagonist fight monsters, this episode is a subversion of the generalised 'nerds are pervs' trope, that formed the basis of a lot of comedy in the 80s especially. The Trio have already done some straight up creepy shit, like 'chicks, chicks, chicks' being on their list of things 'to do', and trying to turn themselves invisible to sneak into a women's bikini waxing salon, and I'd hazard a guess that a lot of people have watched their antics and gone, 'Lol nerds'. Then this episode comes along and pulls the rug out from under you, and the funny nerds aren't so funny anymore.
Claire Eyles
2024-10-19 14:39:51 +0000 UTC"BUT if she was feeling better mentally, this thing with Spike probably would never have happened. It's just so toxic" This, absolutely. No matter how likable Spike is, in the show's logic he has to be a thing, a demon, with his former self (William) maybe making him more likable then other vampires (Angelus!) as long as he is incapable of hunting humans. But he is a vampire without a soul, which in the Buffyverse can't be even potentially good, or else the Scoobys slaughtering them would stop them from being heroes or even morally justified.
Oliver
2024-10-19 08:02:22 +0000 UTCI think season 6 is so dark with the producers/writers having in mind, that there are 2 seasons left to bring the show to a new deep conclusion on the new network after it was "finished" after season 5. And they did a hell of a job. Hang in there, whatever they'll throw at you...
Oliver
2024-10-19 07:55:38 +0000 UTCOh, don't get me wrong, i love season 7. It's my second favorite after 5. I just find certain elements of it kind of dark. Not in a bad way for me, though. It's hard for me to explain why, and in any case, I can't without getting specific and spoiling. I think it's more of a personal thing. But what you describe is exactly why I love season 7. Buffy's final season is one of the few shows I've seen who's final season I love that much, but the show also one of the best finales I've ever seen on television.
Raven Dark
2024-10-19 07:43:14 +0000 UTCI disagree about season 7 being hard to watch. For me, season 6, as great as many people seem to think it is, is hard to watch (like this episode). On my annual rewatches of the entire series, season 6 is the only one when I skip some of the episodes (like this one). However, I savor every episode of season 7 (even the more problematic ones). It embodies a true hero's journey for many of our characters. There is failure, uncertainty and betrayal but it all leads to healing, redemption and ultimate victory (along with a couple of the funniest episodes of the entire series, IMHO).
David Schmidt
2024-10-19 06:20:18 +0000 UTCAnd once again Buffy season 6 does a fantastic job of depicting depression and trauma responses in a pretty damn realistic manner. This episode is miserable, Buffy is miserable, dealing with clinical depression and trauma is miserable; as hard as it is to watch I am grateful to the show for not shying away from stuff. I will have more to say on Warren and Buffy and Spike's relationship in another comment.
Claire Eyles
2024-10-19 02:21:18 +0000 UTCI'll have to watch this one later after work. This is one of my favorites episodes of the season. It's also the one where everyone learned to take the baddies seriously. Yeah, I think you're beginning to see why some people have issues with Spike, or at least with Buffy and Spike as a couple. I love him, but I also get it. Season six and seven are not easy watches. Darkness is come. And it's just getting started.
Raven Dark
2024-10-18 21:30:06 +0000 UTC
